California

Dose of Vitamin P: Krua Siri Sour Pork Ribs

“I don’t think you can handle that.” So said our server, a young member of the family that runs Krua Siri and a woman who enjoys the “pungent” mystery vegetable. However, she was certain we’d be better off with beef organ soup or sour pork ribs. Pungent mystery vegetable vs. sour pork ribs. Hmm, tough call. She continued to “sell” us on the ribs, saying they become sour thanks to the addition of “good” bacteria. Well, that model works well for sour beer, so why not try it?

A family from Lampang, a small city located just outside the northern Thai destination of Chiang Mai, opened Krua Siri about a year ago in Thai Town. Their printed menu has fairly standard dishes, but the paradigm shifts when someone like our server untangles the mystery of the blackboard, which hosts nothing but Thai lettering. In the case of sour pork ribs, they’re presented as on-the-bone nubs of juicy fried pork. Gnaw on the meat and the punchy sour flavor builds. “Good” bacteria sure tastes tangy. The pile of red-hued meat comes with roasted peanuts, dried chilies, fibrous sheets of ginger, and crunchy raw cabbage to quell the sour intensity.